


Rest A While

by TheGoliathBeetle



Category: Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab
Genre: Angst, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rhy is Suffering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-20 10:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14258781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGoliathBeetle/pseuds/TheGoliathBeetle
Summary: Five years after Rhy’s coronation, Kell and Alucard need to convince him to take a break.





	Rest A While

**Author's Note:**

> So I just devoured this trilogy and I am hopelessly in love with Rhy, and Rhylucard, and the sweet, sweet brotherly dynamic between Rhy and Kell. 
> 
> The end of ACOL broke my heart in a way because poor Rhy was TRAUMATISED by the death of his parents, tortured by Osaron, and then has to shoulder the responsibility of being king, and if that's not enough, his brother, his best friend, his greatest support, goes travelling. Sure, Alucard's there, but it's still a lot to deal with. So this fic is sort of?? an exploration of that.

In the end, Kell returned. He’d returned with souvenirs, stories, new scars, and a new lightness that followed him where he went. Privately, to Lila, he had confessed that he’d been homesick after six months at sea, and although he had enjoyed every moment of _seeing everything_ , his life was quite literally bound to the King of Arnes, and he _ached_ to be back home with Rhy.

Home.

He would walk the halls of the royal palace now, thinking, _home, this is my home._ It felt natural to him now. Like clothes, he figured, maybe you have to grow into your homes, too. Lila was taking a break from her privateering—that was the job Rhy had given her, with a smile that expressed his amusement that even after two years at sea with Kell, her restless heart had not stilled. But these days she stayed beside him at the palace, pregnant. 

Kell found himself wandering the palace again today, and with a purpose he tried to resist, his feet led him outside Alucard Emery’s bedroom door. It was anyone’s guess if he would be here, because of course, the King’s guard spent all day beside his charge. They were not married yet (Kell wasn’t sure why), but they spent their nights together too, even more so in these last weeks, Kell presumed, because his brother had been having nightmares.

For Rhy, nightmares were hardly a new thing. Ever since that terrible night with Astrid Dane, Kell had become acutely aware of how Rhy struggled when he slept, and even after five peaceful years, Rhy still found periods of disturbed sleep. Kell often found himself rousing in the middle of the night to a racing heart and sweaty palms, and the realisation that his brother was battling a nighttime demon. In years prior, he would have rushed over to help, but now Alucard was there by his side, and despite Kell’s disdain for him, Alucard knew how to help Rhy too.

And so here he was. At the captain’s door. Kell felt foolish, almost. If he had something to say to the king, he could just march over to Rhy’s chambers and do so. Rhy was always willing to spend time with Kell, no matter the circumstance, and he was always ready to listen, too. Or perhaps he had been, in his youth. King Rhy, it turned out, was more like his father than Kell would ever admit. He was decisive, and when he set his mind to something, unwavering.

Emery’s door flew open, and Alucard nearly crashed into Kell, sidestepping him just in time with a raised eyebrow and weak glare. “Kell,” he greeted after a moment, regarding the Antari. He was holding a coat in his hands, the exposed silver veins on his arms catching the firelight in the hallway. 

“Emery.” Kell blinked. His relationship with Alucard had not improved very much, but perhaps it had cooled. Kell was no longer at his throat, but they were still combative with each other when they were ornery. Now, tonight, without any real anger in him, Kell just felt awkward. He did not draw out the moment. “We need to talk about Rhy.”

Alucard opened his mouth for a split second, perhaps to counter with something snide, but then reconsidered, and his manner changed. His shoulders fell, and he leaned against the wall, his hair falling over his eyes as he said, “Yes, perhaps we do.” 

“He’s been having nightmares again, hasn’t he?”

“He sleeps badly when he is stressed,” Alucard admitted. “And he has been stressed about that trade deal with Vesk for the last month.” 

“But they finalised that deal three days ago,” Kell replied, suddenly impatient.

“Perhaps, but now I’m sure he’s stressed about other things.” 

“Emery,” Kell retorted sharply. “He’s running himself ragged and you know it.”

Kell had seen the change in Rhy when he had returned from sea, and it had been startling. Rhy, always quick to smile or joke, seemed…weary. He carried himself with his usual elegance, but there was a stiffness in his shoulders, and lines under his eyes, and the general sense that if he could, the King would curl up into bed and stay there for weeks. Rhy was _exhausted_ , and he had been for years.

It stood to reason. The King hadn’t taken a break since the day he ascended the throne, and he had ascended the throne amidst a decidedly traumatic time. He’d lost both his parents in a matter of hours, one to an assassination, the other to a monster. And then, for two years, he had lost his childhood best friend, his support, his brother, as Kell set off to sea with Lila. And while yes, Alucard was there by his side, Alucard was always there, they had their own issues to sort out, and Rhy had learnt to cope. He’d learnt to shoulder the weight of a king, and march with it.

But he had been marching nonstop for five long years, and the effects were visible.

Alucard threw his hands in the air. “I’m tired of talking to him about it. Every time I try, he rambles on about the ‘duties of a king’ and ‘pressing matters of state’. I know he’s exhausted, I mean, frankly, he looks _ill._ But you know how he gets when he wants to do something, Kell.”

They fell silent for a moment, remembering. The times Rhy had forced Kell to go out with him. The time Rhy left the safety of the palace to find Alucard during Osaron’s plague. They looked at each other grimly. Rhy was a prince turned king. When he wanted to do something, _nobody_ could stop him.

Kell remembered now, with a bitter taste in his mouth, how Rhy had said, _when this is over, we should take a trip._ He’d still not been on that trip. Maybe he needed to go.

“A vacation, that’s what he needs,” Kell mused. “Maybe a month off.”

Alucard actually laughed. “You know he’ll never agree to it.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Kell said confidently. 

Emery raised an eyebrow. “All right, then. Good luck.”

* * *

Kell saw Rhy at breakfast. They didn’t speak to each other for a while, and the silence was interrupted only by Lila and Alucard sparring with words. Kell stared at his brother now, his chest heavy because it was true, Rhy did look ill, and what was more, Kell could _feel_ Rhy’s tiredness in his own bones. Rhy’s soft curls were lacking their usual shine, his eyes were dimmer, and there were heavy bags under his eyes. Presently, he was reading through a letter received from Faro. He had already read it twice, but there was a set frown in his brows. 

“Everything okay?” Kell heard himself say, and Rhy all but started, glancing up from the letter only to reply something vague and reassuring. 

“Just dry politics,” Rhy muttered after a moment. He pushed his chair back, about to stand. “Excuse me, I have to go deal with this.”

“You’re going to sit down and finish eating,” Lila cut in so sharply it almost felt like she’d thrown a knife at him. Kell’s eyes went straight to Rhy’s plate, where food lay untouched. Rhy looked at her, blinked, and let out an exhausted chuckle.

“Can’t ever argue with her when she uses that tone, right Kell?” he joked, and sat back down. The silence on the table seemed to stretch. Alucard cleared his throat. Rhy didn’t bother glancing up at him. He stared down at his breakfast, eyes away from the table, clearly trying to avoid what was obviously turning into the perfect atmosphere for a Talk. 

“Rhy…” Alucard murmured slowly. He shot a watered-down glare at Kell. _This was supposed to be your job_. 

“You need to take a break,” Kell declared, keeping his mismatched eyes squarely at Rhy’s head. “Are you listening to me?” he added when Rhy took a long sip of tea. “You need to take a break.” 

“What I _need_ is to write a letter to Faro.”

“Rhy—”

“Kell.” And his tone was ringing with imperial command. The king stood and walked off, his guards following his tail. Alucard sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. 

“And this is why we’ve been fighting so much lately,” he muttered to Lila and Kell, before getting to his feet and following Rhy out.

* * *

  _A King belongs with his people, a Prince belongs with his King._

Rhy sometimes felt like he was failing his father. Maxim had made it look effortless. He was revered on the battlefield, which made him respected in a negotiation room. He was decisive. His decisions always reaped results. He radiated power in a way no person ever could, not even an Antari like Kell. 

But Rhy felt like he was barely keeping up. He wanted so badly to be the king Maxim was, but he never felt strong enough, wise enough, brave enough. He was always riddled with these fears and doubts and what-ifs.

_A Prince belongs with his King._

Rhy never let himself think back to the day his parents were murdered. His mother’s death felt entirely like his fault. Maybe if he’d been faster, or smarter, maybe if he’d pushed her out of the way…he could have done _something._ But the sword went through him, and Rhy failed at being a barrier. Rhy failed. Plain and simple. 

Then Maxim…When Rhy dared to think about those horrible moments, he could remember the pain of being held down, the rawness of his throat as he screamed for his father to see reason, screamed to be allowed to help. Maxim had sacrificed himself, trusting Rhy to save them all, trusting Rhy to lead Arnes. 

_How_ could Rhy afford to take a break? How could he bear to fail his father too? The others…they wanted what was best for him, and he knew they loved him, but they did not understand. 

Now, as he sat in his study crafting letter after letter, there was a knock on the door and it swung open without permission.

“Rhy,” Alucard started gently. “My love…”

“Sorry about breakfast,” Rhy replied without looking up. He paused to let the ink dry on the paper before rolling it up. Alucard was coming up from behind him, and now there were hands on his shoulders. Alucard’s breath in his ear. 

“All we’re trying to say,” Alucard began, “is that you’re only human, and you need rest.” 

“I’m immortal,” Rhy joked vaguely. “I’ll be fine.”

“Rhy,” and now Alucard’s tone was harder. He’d pulled away, standing over the king with a hard glare. “That isn’t remotely the point.” 

“Not this again. Luc, I have a lot of work to do, so if this is all you wanted to talk about—” 

“Don’t _dismiss_ me, Rhy,” Alucard commanded.

Rhy narrowed his eyes. “You are speaking to your king, you know.” 

“My king is acting like a child,” Alucard retorted. “Look at you. You look ready to faint. You haven’t slept soundly in weeks, it’s been days since your last proper meal…you’re not yourself.” 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” came a voice from the door. They looked up to find Kell, followed closely by Lila. “But for once, I agree with Emery.”

This seemed to do it. Rhy let out a loud, exhausted sigh and threw his hands in the air. “Can all of you just give me some space?” He got to his feet, grabbing his letters with him. “I’d like to not fuck up this correspondence with Faro like I’ve fucked up everything else.”

“Wait, what—” Kell started, but Rhy had already marched past him, leaving the trio behind. 

* * *

It took about forty-five minutes for Kell to find the king. Rhy was never really alone these days anyway; the guard of a prince was nothing compared to the guard of a king, and he was always followed by men tasked with his safety.

When they were little, and played hide-and-seek, Rhy loved running out into the gardens and hiding behind bushes. Now Kell found him on a marble bench under a tree, with a couple of _ostra_ and _vestra_ standing by him, talking.

They looked up as Kell approached. He didn’t hear what Rhy said, but the king clearly must have asked them to leave, because they bowed low and walked away, leaving the grass open for Kell to stand.

“Sorry for storming off,” Rhy said after a moment, not meeting his gaze. “Second time today.” 

“What did you say about fucking up?” Kell asked, sitting down on the bench beside him. 

Rhy swallowed. Stared down at his hands. “I said what I said.” 

Kell gave him a hard look. “The kingdom is flourishing, you know. London is flourishing, even after Osaron. It’s because of you. Your leadership.” 

“It’s not the same,” Rhy whispered. His voice broke. Tears sprang to his eyes, but he valiantly blinked them away. “It’s not the same as when father was alive.”

It was all Kell could do to not swear. It bothered him, it had for years, the niggling thought that Rhy had not _processed_ his grief. Grief by its nature was slow and heavy, like sludge. It took time. There had never been time. His own relationship with his parents had been…complicated, to say the least. But when they buried them, Kell had cried. Rhy had swallowed his pain, straightened his crown, and carried on leading.

“I don’t know what father would have said, if he were here,” Kell admitted after a moment, putting an arm around Rhy. “But I can only tell you what I see. A great kingdom, and a great king.” 

Beside him, Rhy’s shoulders shook, as more tears ran freely down his face. Kell just held him tighter. “You need rest, Rhy,” he said gently. And then, “You deserve to rest, too.”

* * *

Sleep did not come easy, and Rhy was afraid of the dark. But Alucard wrapped him tightly in his arms, protective, warm. Rhy had to remind himself to drop his shoulders and unhinge his jaw, to let go of the tension his body held onto so fiercely. Alucard kissed his forehead, whispered, “I love you,” over and over, and Rhy dared to close his eyes.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) Please leave a comment!


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